A life guard (also known as household troops) is a military unit charged with protecting a high-ranking individual, such as a

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

Germany

Since the 15th century, has been the designation for the military security guards who protected ' (royals and nobles) — usually members of the highest

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

who ruled over states of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and later its former territory — from danger. The ' should not be mixed up with bodyguard ('), which may refer also to a single private individual.''Dictionary to the German Military History'', 1st edition (Liz.5, P189/84, LSV:0547, B-Nr. 746 635 0), military publishing house of the GDR (VEB) – Berlin, 1985, Volume 1, page 223, definition: ''Garde, Leibgarde''.

France

In the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

, the

Garde du Corps A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A '' Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in th ...

was established (with reference to the ''{{lang, fr, sergents d'armes'') in 1440. It was abolished after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, re-established in 1815 after the Bourbon Restoration, and finally dissolved in 1830 after the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...

. In addition,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

set up the Cent-gardes for his own protection.

List of life guard units

*Germany: **Kingdom of Bavaria:

Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment The Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment (') was a household- lifeguard (bodyguard) regiment of the Bavarian kings from the end of the Napoleonic Wars until the fall of the Wittelsbach monarchy and the subsequent disbanding of the Bavaria ...

- part of the

Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1919) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty (''Wehrhoheit'') of Bavaria into that of ...

**Kingdom of Prussia: Prussian Life Guards - part of the Guards Corps of the Prussian Army **Nazi Germany: 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" - incorporated into the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

during

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

*Kingdom of France: French Life Guards - part of the

Maison Militaire du Roi de France The ''maison militaire du roi de France'', in English the military household of the king of France, was the military part of the French royal household or '' Maison du Roi'' under the Ancien Régime. The term only appeared in 1671, though such a ...

of the French Royal Army *Imperial Russia:

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

(Leibgarde) – regiments of life guards that evolved into many elite combat units in the Imperial Russian Army *United Kingdom: Life Guards – part of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

*Sweden: Life Guards – part of the Swedish Army *Denmark: Royal Life Guards – part of the

Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structur ...

*United States: Washington's Life Guard - part of the Continental Army

References

Military organization Lists of military units and formations Protective security units Infantry

Germany

France

List of life guard units

See also

References